Gilwern Hill

Nearest town:
Llandrindod Wells (5km W)
OS reference:
SO09855909
OS sheet:
147
Latitude:
52° 13' 19.8 N
Longitude:
3° 19' 11.54 W
Added to TMA by

Images

Image of Gilwern Hill (Cairn(s)) by thesweetcheat

Gilwern Hill II, in rather better weather than the lashing rain of earlier in the day!

Image credit: A. Brookes (23.10.10)
thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat Dec 26, 2010
Image of Gilwern Hill (Cairn(s)) by thesweetcheat

Gilwern Hill II in its landscape, on top of the rounded summit far left. Looking north into mid-Wales, over the Afon Ieithon valley.

Image credit: A. Brookes (23.10.10)
thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat Dec 26, 2010
Image of Gilwern Hill (Cairn(s)) by thesweetcheat

Gilwern Hill II in pouring rain. Great Rhos is visible through the gloom on the right of the picture.

Image credit: A. Brookes (23.10.10)
thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat Dec 26, 2010
Image of Gilwern Hill (Cairn(s)) by thesweetcheat

Gilwern Hill II, topped by modern addition.

Image credit: A. Brookes (23.10.2010)
thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat Dec 26, 2010

Articles

Gilwern Hill

thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat Sep 13, 2012

One field on from the ring cairn, I leave the comfort of the broad byway and head uphill on a footpath that leads direct to the cairns on Gilwern Hill. At this point, the cloud and light drizzle turns inconveniently into a proper mid-Walian downpour. The top of the hill is cairn II itself, a large grassed-over mound the best part of 20m across and well over a metre high, with a little walkers’ addition on top that I didn’t expect to find in such a remote spot. Evidence of the mound’s stone construction is apparent from protruding stones, otherwise it could easily be taken for an earthen round barrow. A modern post-and-wire fence cuts across the southeastern side of the cairn. Aside from the lashing rain, this would be a fine spot with extensive views, particularly of the neighbouring Gelli Hill cairn.

Gilwern Hill cairn III is supposedly close by. I can’t see any sign of another cairn here. I head on down the hillside, southwest, hoping to find cairn I. This is shown on the map, but I fail to see any sign of it either, as it’s at this point that I begin to realise that the field patterns shown on the OS map have been altered and replaced by post-and-wire fence lines in other places, as well as a re-routed farm track. These re-arrangements will come back more strongly later in the walk, but here it conspires to confuse me and I fail to find cairn I. A pair of red kites hangs over cairn II on the hilltop behind me; this is obviously a little haven for these magnificent birds.

Miscellaneous

Gilwern Hill
Cairn(s)
thesweetcheat
thesweetcheat Oct 24, 2010

Coflein locations/descriptions of three cairns on Gilwern Hill:

Gilwern Hill I (SO09305870)

A cairn, 14m by 15.5m and 0.9m high, with a central depression.

Gilwern Hill II (SO09855909)

A cairn, 18m in diameter and 1.6m high, crowned by a recent cairn.

Gilwern Hill III (SO09845910)

A possible trenched cairn, 7.5m in diameter and 0.5m high, set immediately NW of a larger cairn.

Sites within 20km of Gilwern Hill

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